Association between tongue pressure and skeletal muscle mass and muscle function in community-dwelling older people without sarcopenia

Key summary points Aim To clarify relationships between swallowing-related muscle strength, whole-body muscle mass, and muscle strength in non-sarcopenic older adults. Findings Declines in swallowing-related muscle mass and strength and sarcopenic dysphagia are suggested to occur following whole-body sarcopenia. However, even in older individuals without definite sarcopenia, maximum tongue pressure as an index of swallowing-related muscle strength appeared significantly associated with whole-body muscle mass. Message Weakness in swallowing-related muscles in older adults may appear from the pre-sarcopenia stage. Purpose This study aimed to cross-sectionally investigate relationships between maximum tongue pressure (MTP) and whole-body muscle mass and strength for non-sarcopenic older adults. Methods Study participants comprised 341 adults (105 men, 236 women) ≥ 65 years old (mean age, 72.7 ± 4.8 years). Participants were measured for MTP, grip strength, five-time chair stand test (FCST), gait speed, and skeletal muscle mass index (SMI). Multiple regression analysis adjusted for confounding factors was used to analyze relationships between MTP and each other variable. Results MTP was significantly related to SMI ( r = 0.15, p